Defend Against the Siege of Annuminas

Pre-order Your Fellowship Event Kits Today

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The window for pre-ordering this Fellowship Kit has closed. We will announce the next Fellowship Kit on our website next year. Thank you to everyone who has committed to running an event!

Each year, fans of The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game can explore even more of Middle Earth at Gen Con in Indianapolis each August, and in their local stores as part of the annual Fellowship Event. Players who attend these cooperative card game events are treated to a new scenario and the chance to play with people beyond their usual group. In 2016, an epic adventure arrives in The Siege of Annuminas, a scenario so exciting it will be offered at both Gen Con and to stores for the 2016 Fellowship Event!

Each event has a different alternate art card for players, but only the in-store Fellowship Event offers players the unique Fellowship 2016 playmat! Retailers interested in hosting an in-store Fellowship Event can pre-order one or more Fellowship Event Kits by contacting our sales department (United States) or their local distributor (International) by August 24th, and referencing product code OP021. Each kit contains support for up to three players, so stores should preorder more kits based on the number of players expected to attend. Events will primarily be held during the official Fellowship Weekend, November 11th-13th, but some stores may choose to host their event at a later date.

Each Fellowship Event Kit includes three copies of The Siege of Annuminas, three Faramir alternate art cards, and three beautiful playmats of Eowyn facing down the Witch-king of Angmar.

Developer Caleb Grace shares more information about the unique scenario included in every kit, The Siege of Annuminas.

A Word From the Developer, Caleb Grace

In The Siege of Annuminas, the ravaging hordes of Angmar are marching on Annuminas, and it’s up to the players to defend the city in an adventure designed for 1-12 players. This unique scenario can be played in two different game modes: Standard Game Mode or Epic Multiplayer Mode. Standard Game Mode requires only 1 copy of The Siege of Annuminas and supports 1-4 players like every other The Lord of the Rings LCG scenario. But Epic Multiplayer Mode requires three copies of The Siege of Annuminas and supports 3-12 players!

To help players set up The Siege of Annuminas for either game mode, the scenario includes five sequential rules card inserts and two double-sided setup cards: one labeled “Standard Game Mode” and one labeled “Epic Multiplayer Mode.” To play The Siege of Annuminas in the desired mode, simply follow the Setup directions on the corresponding setup card.

In Epic Multiplayer Mode, a group of 3-12 players are divided into three teams, and each team is assigned to a different stage. Each stage represents a different part of the battle and only the team at that stage can defeat it. In this way, each team is dependent on the others to do their part in order to win the battle and defeat the scenario.

Even though all three stages are interconnected, each one counts as its own game. So a card ability at one stage cannot affect the game state at another stage, unless it specifically says it does. Because each stage is its own game, two players at different stages can use the same unique card. That means players only need to coordinate their heroes with the other players on their team, not the entire group.

It also means that once the game gets underway, the game plays just like a standard scenario, with one important exception: when the players reach the end of a game round, they do not advance to the beginning of the next round until each other team in their group has finished the current game round. This is because there are several important effects that trigger at the end of each round that will affect each team in the group. Most notably, the Annuminas objective has the text: “Forced: At the end of the round, deal 1 damage to Annuminas for each enemy at each stage.” If the players allow Annuminas to take too much damage, they will lose the game, so each team must be prepared to deal with the enemies at their stage.

Fortunately, each quest stage also provides some ways for the players to fight back against the enemy. For example, each different stage 1 gives the players at their stage the means to prepare for the approaching Orcs. At stage 1B, Rebuild the Defenses, the players can increase the amount of damage that Annuminas can take by removing 10 progress from that stage at the end of the round. If the players at stage 1D, Raise the Levee, can remove 10 progress from their stage at the end of the round, the first player at each stage takes control of a set-aside Dunedain of Annuminas objective-ally. Finally, the team at stage 1F, Delay the Enemy, can offer each other team a significant reprieve. If the team at stage 1F removes 10 progress from their quest stage at the end of the round, each other team reveals 1 fewer encounter card during their next quest phase.

When the players advance to stage 2, the battle is fully underway with a fresh Host of Angmar appearing at stage 2F, Man the Walls, each round. If the Host of Angmar is in the staging area at the end of the round, the Forced effect on the Epic Multiplayer Mode card advances it to the next stage in descending alphabetical order, from stage 2F to stage 2D, or from stage 2D to 2B. If a Host of Angmar is in the staging area of stage 2B, Defend the City, at the end of the round, it assaults the city directly by discarding itself to deal 9 damage to Annuminas.

The Epic Multiplayer Mode card also prevents each stage 2 from being defeated except for at the beginning of the round. That way the different teams all advance as a group. If they make it to the final stage, the players at stage 3B will come face-to-face with the Lieutenant of Angmar, but the Forced effect on the enemy may cause him to move to a different stage, making him dangerous and unpredictable. If any team manages to defeat the Lieutenant of Angmar, each team wins the game.

To play The Siege of Annuminas in Epic Multiplayer Mode requires three copies of the scenario and a minimum of three players (one for each stage). Because each stage presents its own challenges and rewards, we recommend that each group distribute its players evenly among the teams. However, the players are free to distribute themselves in the manner they see fit, so long as there is at least one player at each stage and no more than four players on each team. If there is an uneven number of players, we recommend placing the extra players at stage 1A at the beginning of the game.

The Gen Con Premier

While all stores will have a chance to host a Fellowship Event later this year, those attending Gen Con will have the first opportunity to play The Siege of Annuminas, in all of its new glory! We have made sure each event is large enough that players will be able to experience the Epic Multiplayer Mode of the scenario.

However, there are a limited number of seats available. To view our schedule of events and if any seats remain, check out the Gen Con schedule. We will have a waiting list for each event available on site for filling any empty seats. If you sign up on a waiting list and get a spot, you will be able to pay with generic Gen Con tickets.

In addition to being the first to play this new scenario, those lucky players will receive a Boromir alternate art card exclusive to the Gen Con events, and their scenario packs will feature the Gen Con logo to commemorate the event.

Note: The playmats and Faramir cards shown at the beginning of this article are only available in the Fellowship Kits, and will not be given away at Gen Con.

Pre-order Your Fellowship Event Kits Now

Make sure your store contacts their sales representative (United States) or local distributor (International) to pre-order their kits by August 24th! Don’t forget to reference product code OP021, and remind them to order a number of kits based on the number of players they expect to attend (three players per kit). The official Fellowship Weekend is November 11th-13th, but retailers may also choose to host their event at a later date.

Note: All attendees at the Gen Con Fellowship Events will receive an alternate art Boromir card. The alternate art Faramir cards and Fellowship 2016 playmats are exclusively for the 2016 Fellowship Event Kits.

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